Thoughts From Bob

What is in your hand?  Or, What is in your inventory?

When disaster strikes as it certainly has in these United States this year it seems to me we need to raise our sights and look at the answers to these two questions.

As I watch the real winners respond to disaster in our land and see how they have turned a situation that seemed insurmountable into a pathway to victory, I wanted to see how they did it.

The greatest treasures any of the winners have is the sure and certain belief they have solidly planted in their own soul that :

1 God is in charge and He owns it all. [Read more →]

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I am enjoying learning how to ride a tricycle. 
The answer is simple you are not really in charge. 
No such thing as banking with your body on turns.
You must SLOW DOWN on turns or you will tip over.

There is a nice plus.  It is geared so it is really easy to pedal.

I made some adjustments to the carrier on my car so I can take it to some of my favorite places to bike.

I am enjoying it more than I expected.
Bob Scott

Tags: General, Life by Bob
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One of your greatest sources of pleasure and inner peace is the ability you have to bless others.

This short message is a new adventure for many of us because it is an investigation into the why some things happen in our lives. We are spiritual beings and the spiritual aspect of our makeup is not really emphasized in our western culture.

The American Indian’s culture was one where the spiritual aspect was a concept that began when the children were small because they were told of the power of the Great Spirit.

The framers of our constitution were well aware of this power because in the opening of our constitution we are told that we are endowed with the ability to search for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

There is no doubt in my mind that this concept is one of the main contributors to the greatness of the United States of America.

We can and should develop blessing in our lives and include it in our pursuit of happiness.

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One detail that is never mentioned is that in Washington, D.C. there can never be a building of greater height than the Washington Monument.

With all the uproar about removing the ten commandments, etc., this is worth a moment or two of your time. I was not aware of this amazing historical information.

On the aluminum cap, atop the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., are displayed two words: Laus Deo.

No one can see these words.  In fact, most visitors to the monument are totally unaware they are even there and for that matter, probably couldn’t care less. 

Once you know Laus Deo’s history, you will want to share this with everyone you know. These words have been there for many years; they are 555 feet, 5.125 inches high, perched atop the monument, facing skyward to the Father of our nation, overlooking the 69 square miles which comprise the District of Columbia, capital of the United States of America.

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Tags: Bible, Life by Bob
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The Bible has a wonderful and powerful capability to lift the human spirit and give hope and faith and love to anyone who can discover the marvelous truths that have been placed there for our benefit.Almost a hundred years ago there were two men in a hotel room in Wisconsin who were both students of the Bible. They had an idea that if they could devise ways to put Bibles where people could read them it would be a blessing to this nation.

Today this organization is composed of thousands of people who are called Gideons and the Gideons have put Bibles in most of the rooms in our hotels. Today many of the Bibles printed by and for the Gideons contain a list of scripture references so even if you never had a Bible in your hands before you can turn to the powerful words of God so you can receive the help and faith in yourself to find the hope you can use to conquer fear, find answers to personal problems, get an idea to help you if you are Anxious, Bereaved, Defeated, Depressed, Discouraged and the list goes on and on.

I have been very blessed in many ways in my life but perhaps the greatest blessings have always come from a lesson learned in a time of adversity. The natural God-given instinct in time of great fear or sorrow or danger is to call out to God for help.

I was an infantry soldier in World War II and I can tell you there were no atheists in the foxholes we dug for our personal protection.

Most of you who are reading this page will remember when a word of encouragement or love or kindness or even a severe scolding changed your life. Words have power.

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I can remember when our kids were little and we lived on a farm. The beginning of spring meant an Easter egg huntThe trick was to hide the eggs in such a way that they would be right in the middle of an unlikely place. They would be overlooked unless a careful examination of the location was made. Imagine the joy in the mind of the one who finds the treasure in the unlikely place.

This joy has happened to many of us but it triggered a real and lasting enthusiasm n the mind of Bruce Wilkinson when he found the prayer of Jabez. It contains only two verses but it has such tremendous power it can change anybodies life that will use it. AND it is stuck right in the middle of some of the most boring reading in the entire Bible, the list of the begats in the 4^th chapter of First Chronicles verses 9 and 10.

The book, The Prayer of Jabez has earned well over a million dollars. I tell you that to illustrate its power. But even though it has such tremendous power it is totally worthless unless it is prayed by a believer.

When you get this prayer I advise you to trace the outline of your right hand on a blank piece of paper. That will give you a very familiar outline that has five points. Then in your own handwriting.

On the Thumb write Bless Me Indeed

On the first finger put Enlarge My Coast

On the tall finger Let God Guide Me

On the ring finger put the words Keep Me From Evil

Then on the little finger instead of don’t let it grieve me put

DON’T LET ME DO ANYTHING I WILL BE SORRY FOR LATER.

Then if you will look at that hand picture at least 5 times a day for a week you will have memorized the prayer and then you can say it many times a day every day.

If you will do that you will begin to realize that you do have God’s favor, and your life will get better.

You will find that your goals really are attainable.

You can actually help more people.

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Certain dignified and noble traditions help us to guard the precious gift of the power of the great United States.

America is only great because her people are great.

This shining example is a steady reminder that we value the greatness in our prominent citizens. The sum total of the heroes at Arlington and other national cemeteries is a constant reminder that those of us who are among the living are challenged to be great as well.

ONE OF THE FIRST HYMNS I MEMORIZED IN THE FIRST GRADE WAS:

Little drops of water, Little grains of sand,

Make the mighty Ocean,

AND the beauteous Land.

AND the teacher told us each of you is IMPORTANT.

Dr. Bob

Here’s more about the tomb of the unknown. 

ARLINGTON CEMETERY – Jeopardy Question

On Jeopardy the other night, the final question was How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns —- All three missed it —

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Tags: Life, The Soldier by Bob
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To my friends

I have an interesting job in the North Heights Lutheran Church in Arden Hills, MN.  This is a church that has 8000 members, two campuses and about 12 different services every Sunday.

One of the functions at most of the services is provided by a team of people we call altar ministers. These are volunteers who have been through a training program and who are willing to come to the front of the auditorium after the service and offer to pray with anyone who wants to come up for prayer.

We usually work in teams of two altar ministers, the official title of the job. We will listen to and then pray for and with the person who comes up for prayer.

I was introduced to the job of being an alter minister by a friend who was an altar minister and he asked me to come up with him and see what it was like to be an altar minister. When I watched Carl Brostrum pray with people I decided I would attempt to take the training and join the team of altar ministers. That was in 1990 so I have had a unique opportunity to witness the remarkable power of prayer.

I can truthfully say that the fifteen minutes more or less in that job has become the most valuable thing I do in my week.

It is no longer a surprise to me when some kind stranger will approach me and say, “Do you remember praying with me?”

Usually I will answer, no. I can honestly say I do not remember because my goal is to forget the time I spend at the altar rail BECAUSE IT IS REALLY NOT ANY OF MY BUSINESS, I am just a simple connector between the person who needs the prayer and the Holy Spirit. I just happen to be there. I cannot claim any of the remarkable things done to and for the person who comes to ask for prayer.

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 A few years ago, when Luella and I went to visit her son, Joe, in Scotland he took me to see the Falkirk Wheel.  It is one spectacular invention.  There is a huge museum there to show you how the canal system moved a lot of commerce over a hundred years before the railroads.There are literally hundreds of fancy yachts today that can use this system to move a sizeable luxury ship or boat from the Western to the Eastern side of the land. 

In the beginning there were two canals:

The first, Canal Forth and Clyde, was built in 1777 between the harbors of Grangemouth and Falkirk connecting Glasgow with the west cost of Scotland.

The second, Canal Union, between Falkirk and Edinburgh was finished in 1822.

Because of geographical difficulties, which created a difference of 79ft.in elevation, the two canals were connected by 11 locks.

In 1963, after 150 years of existence of this water way with 11 locks the construction of a huge water carousel started. This extraordinary idea was finished in 2002 and became a symbol of Scotland. This invention saves not only time but also energy.  

This is the only rotational boat transporter in the world. It has two arms and each arm forms a kind of huge tub filled with water. Boats enter the tub either at the higher canal or the lower one, then the tub locks up and the huge arm starts rotating.

The “tubs” are filled according the Archimedes’ Law.  So the weight of “tubs” are nearly balanced.  To open the upper and lower lock and turn the whole system by 180◦ they need an engine of 22.5 kW which only uses 1.5 kWh

Here’s a link to a 7 minute video showing a boat going into the tub and then being rotated up to the upper canal.

It is a very interesting place to visit.

The canal system is still a very beautiful way to travel across Scotland.

It is probably one of the most interesting mechanical devices I have ever seen.  It was a fun day.

Tags: General, Life by Bob
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Excitement on May 16

You never know when you wake up in the morning what are all the potential surprises in store for you as the day unfolds.

From the perspective that I enjoy the picture and plan of our lives is in the hands of the creator.  We only think we are in charge. 

This morning was not particularly unusual.  My wife, Janice was very pregnant in fact the Doctor’s Last exam had assured her that things were normal and they predicted the birthday would be sometime next week.

We lived very near the new Clinic we had built and it was located on a small farm on the East Edge of Brighton, Colorado.  May was one of the busiest months in our practice because we were trying to get all the calves vaccinated, dehorned if they needed it and we would castrate the bull calves.  In 1957 a large part of that sort of animal husbandry was done by the veterinarian.  We wanted to get most of that done before the flies and maggots would be a challenge.

The new hay would soon be ready to cut and spring was in the air.

Except that morning it was snowing.  It was going to change some of our appointments perhaps so I headed to the office.  My first job would be to turn the dogs out to the small exercise run we had and clean the cages. Yes, back in those days in a new small animal clinic we did the work ourselves. For some reason we didn’t have many farm calls that morning so I was back at the clinic at about 10:00AM

Janice called the clinic and asked if we were busy and I told her that not at the moment we were not.

She said she wasn’t sure but maybe we should head to the hospital this afternoon.

Dr. Bill Waddell was not only our doctor but had become a dear friend.  He began his practice in 1951 the same year I went to work with Dr. John Thimmig as new vet graduate.

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